Abhay Singh
United Airlines announced on Friday its strategic decision to provide complimentary inflight Wi-Fi services through Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX across its extensive fleet of jetliners. This collaboration represents the largest inflight internet agreement for the satellite service provider to date.
This comes at a time when airlines are increasingly prioritizing enhanced inflight connectivity, with many opting to offer complimentary Wi-Fi to enhance the travel experience and cater to the needs of discerning passengers, particularly business travelers who value productivity and connectivity while flying.
United currently offers inflight internet from a hodgepodge of providers
In an effort to enhance the inflight experience for their passengers, Delta Air Lines disclosed plans in early 2023 to provide complimentary onboard internet access exclusively to members enrolled in its SkyMiles loyalty program.
Similarly, Hawaiian Airlines, in partnership with Starlink, extends complimentary Wi-Fi services to its travelers. For years now, JetBlue Airways has been offering complimentary Wi-Fi to elevate the passenger experience on board their flights. SpaceX also previously made a deal with semi-private airline JSX.
United presently charges $8 for loyalty club members and $10 for everyone else to access in-flight internet on domestic and short-haul international flights, which is provided by a motley assortment of suppliers such as ViaSat and Panasonic.
The airline stated that Starlink will be installed on more than 1,000 of its aircraft during the “next several years,” with early in the next year seeing the first passenger flights equipped with the service. According to United, the WiFi will provide “gate-to-gate” connectivity.
United praised SpaceX’s satellite service
United Airlines highly lauded SpaceX’s innovative satellite service for its unparalleled ability to offer internet connectivity globally, even in the most challenging locations like oceans, polar regions, and other remote areas where traditional communication signals fall short.
The service’s capacity to cover these hard-to-reach places is particularly attractive for United, which boasts the highest number of flight routes over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Since its launch in 2020, SpaceX has gradually increased the scope of its Starlink network and range of products. According to the corporation, there are already over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit connecting over 3 million clients across 100 countries. Although it started off focusing on consumers, SpaceX has since moved into other industries, like aviation.
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